White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah has left the White House and accepted a job offer at a prominent private communications and lobbying firm.
Shah is taking up a leading partnership at Ballard Media Group, a new division of Ballard Partners, a firm which handles governmental relations, all of which was founded and led by a longtime Florida lobbyist named Brian Ballard.
As part of his new leadership role at the Ballard Media Group, Shah will team up with Jaime Rubin, who had previously served as an assistant secretary of state for public affairs during the administration of former President Bill Clinton.
“Excited” by the challenging new job
In a statement announcing his new job, Shah said, “I’m excited to join Brian, Jamie and the top-notch team to launch Ballard Media Group.”
“Companies, organizations and industries today face increasing scrutiny from an unrelenting media landscape. Our team, with years of proven results, will provide the strategic communications clients need to navigate these challenges and successfully deliver their message to the right audience,” added Shah.
Ballard Partners confirmed that Shah had been offered a partnership and would be joining the firm.
With the administration since the beginning
In his role as deputy press secretary for the White House, Shah delivered several White House daily briefings in the absence of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.
Shah was also often the face of the Trump administration in the media, appearing on many of the various broadcast and cable news networks programs to deliver the administration’s messages.
During the contentious confirmation fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Shah played the leading role in overseeing and implementing the administration’s communications strategy.
Prior to serving in the Trump administration, Shah was the deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee and entered the Trump White House along with fellow RNC alumni Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus.
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While the media will likely attempt to make a big deal out of Shah’s departure, part of the broader “White House in chaos” narrative, his resignation isn’t entirely unexpected.
His departure has been rumored since last summer, and it is not at all uncommon for administration officials to leave around the two-year period.